The First Defiance
by PetaB
Summary: 'Born to parents who have thrice defied the Dark Lord' was the prophecy, this is the story of the first of those three times. Lily and James' search for the mysterious Order. I own nothing
1. Chapter 1

'Go away Potter, I don't want to hear, speak to or see you,' Lily flipped a page of her book.

'But I wanted to...,'

'Not interested,'

'But...,'

'Potter, after all this time have you learnt nothing about Lily? I'd move away if I were you,' Marlene interjected, hands on hips, her foot practically tapping.

With a defeated sigh the scruffy black-haired teenager moved away from the low sofa in front of the fire. Lily let out an inaudible sigh of relief and closed her eyes, letting her head fall back against the cushions.She had promised herself at the end of sixth year that she would keep her temper in check from then on, yet Potter was making it very hard to do so. Why did he have to act like that? Lily had seen his unwavering loyalty to his friends, the Marauders and his determination to stand up for what was right, she admired him for it. But his qualities were hugely undermined by his constant arrogance, his need to show-off and his ridiculous tendency to hex unsuspecting students _as a joke_. That was her current source of annoyance, Potter, who, she added, was supposed to be a mature Head Boy had hung every Slytherin to enter the Great Hall off the ceiling of said Hall. Lily would have minded as much if it weren't for the fact that it had _only_ been the Slytherins and the scared little first years had been included in the prank, reducing many of them to tears and resulted in them being sent to the Hospital Wing. Lily had spent hours getting them down and reassuring them, all the while getting glared at by the older Slytherins for being a Gryffindor. All this with no help from the instigator of the prank who as Head Boy, _really should know better. _

'I swear you think too much Lily,' said Marlene sitting next to her. The attractive blonde girl provided a welcome distraction from her ruminations and she carefully shut her book.

'Yeah well someone's got to think around here,' She grinned, receiving an elbow in the ribs for her troubles.

'Let me guess, you are brooding over the Marauders,' Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the name ',latest prank _extraordinaire,' _

'Of course I am,' said Lily before raising her voice so it carried across the Common Room 'It was foolish, childish, immature and seventh years really should know better,'

Marlene sniggered at the protests that arose from the Marauders at being called _childish. _

'One day,' she added 'I'll ask Dumbledore what on earth possessed him to make Potter Head Boy. She yawned, stretching her arms over her head. 'But first I'm going to bed. Night Lils,'

Lily gave a half-hearted wave as her friend disappeared up the stairs to the girls dormitories. She was about to start reading again when another body took up Marlene's vacated spot.

'Hi Remus, haven't seen you around much this week,' He smiled at her.

'Full moon,' He said quietly, glancing around nervously.

'Oh bad luck, on the first week back, ' She patted his shoulder sympathetically. She had know about Remus' 'furry little problem' as Potter called it since fifth year, when despite her refusal to talk to Snape she had realized that there was some truth in his accusations towards Remus. At the end of the year she had asked him if he was a werewolf to which he had nodded and asked her not to tell anyone. As far as she could tell Potter, Black and Pettigrew, the remaining members of the Marauders still didn't know she knew.

'I was wondering if you could tell me why Potter was chosen as Head Boy out of all the male species?'

'Well...' He got no further when he was interrupted by none other than James Potter himself.

'Dumbledore just couldn't resist by suave good-looks and shining personality,' He informed her.

'Prongs, if those were the real reasons you were chosen, then I would currently be Head Boy,' Sirius Back interjected eyes glittering.

'Black you are probably the only person _less_ likely than Potter to be made Head Boy,'

'That, Evans, I will take as a compliment,' Lily rolled her eyes.

'Black and Potter, your heads seem to be taking up an awful amount of space so I'll be going to bed. Night Remus,'

'Evans, don't I get a good night too?' Potter was grinning at her, his hand in his hair.

'Pigs might fly Potter, pigs might fly,'

'How do you do it Moony?' James flopped onto the sofa with a frustrated sigh.

'Do what?' Asked Remus absently, flipping through the book that Lily had abandoned.

'Get Evans to talk to you. I mean she calls you Remus, but I'm just Potter. It's not fair. Why does she like you so much? Why does she hate me?'

'Prongs, you sound like a girl, stop moping,' Sirius was poking his wand at the fire, changing the colour of the sparks that were floating up the chimney.

'She doesn't hate you James, she thinks you're arrogant and disapproves of your hexing random people,'

'Cheers mate, you really know how to make a bloke feel better,' James grumbled.

'Maybe if you were nice to people...,' Peter's timid interruption went almost unnoticed as usual.

'Just deflate your head a bit Prongs, she might like you better then,' suggested Sirius.

'Not enough have come,' Like a snake through grass the voice whispered, slippery and calm.

'More will come my Lord,' This voice was quiet but contained an unmistakable quiver

'We must recruit,'

'Yes my Lord,'


	2. Chapter 2

The first weekend of the school year dawned bight and early, the air crisp and cold but the sun was bright. Lily, an early riser, headed out to the grounds, a slice of toast in her hand. She had decided to practice the spells she had learnt over the last few years as practise for the year that was promising to be densely packed with NEWT revisions. The lake glittered in the sun and the grass under the old oak that bordered in looked inviting. She tucked her feet under her and opened her notebook. The first few years she got through easily, shrinking, vanishing, transforming quickly and easily but some of last years Transfiguration spells were not as smooth. After another unsuccessful attempt of turning a dripping ball of lake water into solid wood she gave up, letting it splash back from whence it came.

Looking towards the castle, tall and grand in the morning air, she sighed. She would miss the comfort and security Hogwarts offered. It was her home. Not that she didn't love her real home, but here, she didn't have to explain, everyone knew magic, everyone used it. She didn't stand out. She wasn't a freak as her sister put it. Her parents were very proud of course and she did miss then during the year she spent at Hogwarts but she never felt the need to go home every holiday. She was content here.

'I think I'll miss it too,' Came a familiar and surprisingly, not entirely unwelcome voice. Snapping out of her reverie, she shaded her eyes to look up into the bespectacled face of James Potter.

'Reading my mind?' She asked sourly.

'Nah, you just had that look on your face,' He sat down next to her and she noticed he was wearing his quidditch uniform.

'Aren't you going to be late?' She asked pointedly.

'Chill Evans, I'll be off in a second, I saw you and I came to apologise, you wouldn't let me last night,'

'What are you apologising for?' She wouldn't give in that easily.

'Hanging all the Slytherins from the ceiling, it was immature,' He had a resigned look about him that amused Lily greatly.

'And you'll never do it again?' He hesitated. 'Potter...' She said warningly.

'Fine, I'll never do _that_ again,'

'Good, apology accepted, though you should really be apologising to all the poor terrified first years,'

'There are too many of them,' He told her standing up, running his hand through his hair. 'See you around Evans and can I just point out we just had a conversation that didn't constitute in you yelling at me,' He walked away grinning.

'HEADS MEETING THIS AFTERNOON POTTER, FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE COMMON ROOM. DON'T BE LATE.'

She swore he was laughing at her as he wandered towards the pitch for practice.

An hour later she headed back inside to meet her friends, who not being morning people, were only just heading down to breakfast. Alice, Marlene and Mary were sitting with Remus who had decided not to follow Peter down to the pitch to watch the training and Frank Longbottom who had a magnificent handlebar moustache plastered across his face.

'Love the style Frank, really suits you,' Lily sat next to Alice who was clutching at her sides, screaming with laughter.

'Lily, you're good at Charms, can you get it off?'

'I dunno, how did it get on?'

'Alice decided that her dear boyfriend should not be allowed to sneak into the girl's dormitories and so when he did, that appeared,' Mary answered as Alice couldn't get enough air to do so.

'Aaah, sorry Frank there's nothing I can do, I wouldn't want to interfere in a lovers...hem...quarrel,'

Frank glared at her as she helped herself to another slice of toast.

'So Lily where were you this morning?' Marlene asked around a mouthful of porridge.

'Out on the grounds practising spells and talking to Potter,'

'Why the hell were _you_ talking to him?' Demanded Mary with toast halfway to her mouth.

'He was saying sorry about yesterday's incident,'

'And you told him to bugger off cos he's an arrogant toerag as usual right,'

'No, I held back my temper magnificently and graciously accepted his apology,'

'Jeez Lils, you'll be marrying him next,'

'Yeah sure Mary, that will happen,' Muttered Lily sarcastically.

'Snape is staring again,' Alice put in leaning over the table slightly.

'Well give him the finger,' Marlene told her. 'I really don't know what you saw in him Lily,'

'He was kind to me Marlene, at the beginning at least, he told me I was a witch and was my best friend for a long time. There is some good in him, buried deep down, but it is there,'

'Have you read the paper this morning Lily?'

Taken aback by the sudden change of subject, she shook her head.

'Two muggle-borns and their families killed, the Dark Mark above their houses. He's getting stronger and your precious Snape is on his side. You do remember for all _the good in him_ that he calls you Mudblood whenever his _friends_ are nearby.' Marlene had never understood Lily's old friendship with Snape and disagreed passionately whenever Lily defended him.

'Did you hear,' Alice interrupted in a whisper, all trace of laughter gone from her face 'Fabian and Gideon Prewett, you know, Molly's older brothers were killed by Dolohov and four other Death Eaters yesterday,' Molly had been in seventh year when Lily had first come to Hogwarts, Lily had always liked her down-to-earth attitude, her refusal to take crap from anyone. She currently had two children Bill and Charlie and, apparently, was expecting a third.

'How did it happen?' Asked Marlene, her voice was hushed as well.

'From what I heard it was some sort of mission, they were working for someone fighting...him,' Marlene and Lily frowned, exchanging glances, less and less people felt comfortable with saying his name, Voldemort and it bothered them. Why should people fear a name?

'There are people other than the Ministry fighting?'

Alice nodded 'From the few rumours I've heard, my mother is friends with Dodge who apparently let something slip,'

Lily sat back in her chair, digesting this information. She had decided when the attacks had started getting worse in fifth year that she wanted to be an Auror and fight against Voldemort but the constraints and paperwork of a Ministry job had never appealed to her. The idea that there were other fighting was interesting to say the least. She tapped a finger on the table. Considering.

'We need to find out more about...' Both Marlene and her burst out at the same time before sharing a grin.


	3. Chapter 3

'We'll need help, it's not going to be easy to find anything it whoever they are don't want to be found,'

'We are going to have to break some rules,' Said Marlene.

'We should ask McGonagall,' Lily felt sure that she would know something.

'We could try...' Said Marlene doubtfully.

'I don't know where these rumours come from Miss Evans but you should put them out of your mind, this is NEWT year, concentrate on that,' McGonagall's lips were a tight line and her eyes glittered dangerously.

Lily sighed collecting her bag and heading out of class. Marlene had doubted the teachers, even if they did know something, would tell them anything about it and she had been right. Lily had dawdled after Transfiguration to talk to her favourite teacher to no avail.

'Sucking up again are we Evans?'

'Where are your cronies Potter?' She knew something was wrong when Potter was wandering inside the school alone.

'Around,' He waved a hand vaguely.

'Well if you'll excuse me, I'll probably be clearing up their mess soon, so I'd better have lunch quickly,' She started towards the Great Hall and was surprised when Potter fell into step beside her.

'Are you worried?' He broke the silence with his question, making her stop.

'About what?'

'The attacks,' He replied as if it were obvious.

'You mean am I worried for me? Because if you are talking about the wizarding world in general then of course I am. I'm terrified and it's nothing to be ashamed of. If Voldemort gets many more supporters then the Ministry will be screwed. Everyone will be. If you are talking about me, then less so, I'm at Hogwarts remember, I'm safe here. But my family, all the muggle-borns who thought it would actually be safer to stay at home rather then to come back here, they're in danger. And that scares me.' She took a deep breath and looked at her feet. She froze when she felt arms wrap around her as Potter pulled her body against him, then she relaxed, resting her forehead against his shoulder. Finding comfort in being held.

'We'll fight him Lily, you and me and all the others. He won't win,' The steely determination in his voice was incredibly pleasing and she let out a silent sigh before pushing him away slightly.

'You really shouldn't hug me in the corridor James, people might talk,' She smiled slightly at him, not embarrassed in the least.

'You called me James,' He said, almost proudly.

'You called me Lily,' She countered. They stared at each other in silence. James was about to take a step forwards when...

BANG

'That would be Black,' Lily said, turning on the spot and hurrying towards that noise, suppressing a smile when she heard James' low oaths and curses directed towards his friend. The Great Hall was full of screaming first years and laughing older students. Two of the long tables in the hall were standing on two legs having, what appeared to be a wrestling match. Sirius was standing near them grinning all too innocently, Remus was next to him appearing indugently amused and Peter was beaming, clapping his hands and gasping whenever a loud bang punctuated the room.

Sirius grinned wider when he spied James and waved him over, whilst Lily waved her wand, ending the spell amidst groans and catcalls from the surrounding students.

'Any student still here when I've repaired the tables will get a detention,' She shouted raising her voice above the clamour. The hall emptied very quickly, they had all heard of the red-head's temper and though they doubted she could give all of them detention they didn't want to stay and find out.

'Black, you get back here,' She shouted at the retreating figure.

'I don't know how they were doing that, Evans, it just happened,' He grinned.

'Since it was harmless, for once, I'll just be taking off points but you should be careful, McGon...'

'MR. BLACK,' The teacher in question was marching towards them 'AND MR. POTTER. DETENTION,' Lily could feel the fury coming off her in waves.

'Potter is innocent for once, actually, Professor' Lily interjected before either of the boys could open their mouths. 'I was with him before it started,'

McGonagall frowned at her, before marching off Sirius trailing despondently after her.

'You know Dumbledore, Lily Evans was asking about the Order,' Professor McGonagall watched as the silver-haired wizard looked up at her.

'Was she? I was wondering when she would get curious. Does she know anything?'

'Not much, she had just heard rumours of wizards fighting Voldemort,'

'Well let's see how long it will take for her to find what she needs then,' He sat back in his chair, glancing at Fawkes, his fingertips pressed together.


End file.
